#PACE50: Empowering voices in emergent and divergent spaces

The Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), the country’s premiere, biggest, and most dynamic professional group of media and communication educators and practitioners, will celebrate its 50th Anniversary on October 23-25, 2025 with the theme #PACE50: Empowering Voices in Emergent and Divergent Spaces. The three-day event, which is hosted by UP Los Banos, co-presented by SEARCA, and sponsored by PagIBIG Fund will feature the Communication and Media Studies Conference (CMSC) where academic papers of faculty and students will be presented and the PACE of the Future Student Camp (PFSC), which will showcase the best outputs of communication students from its member institutions in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Serving as opening keynote speaker is French journalist Pascal Guenee, chair of the World Journalism Education Council, while the closing keynote speech will be delivered by Dr. Jayeel Cornelio, director of the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology.

The opening program will also feature two plenary lectures by Fr. Dennis Cagantas, co-founder and chair of MEND: Music for the Environment and Nation Development, and Mr. Red Batario, founder and executive director of the Center for Community Journalism and Development.

PFSC will have industry experts for its coaches including DZMM’s Ricky Rosales (broadcasting), Fyt Media’s Voltaire Tupaz (journalism), PRSP’s Norman Agatep (integrated marketing communications), Star Cinema’s Kriz Gazmen (film), PageOne’s Ron Jabal (events), ScicommPH’s Ruby Cristobal (devcom), and Mapua’s She Andes (documentary).

The CHED Technical Panel for Journalism, Broadcasting, and Communication and the Technical Working Group for Graduate Education will have a special session, too.

Capping the three-day event is the 50th Anniversary Gala Night, Homecoming, and Recognition Ceremony, which will be held at the Charles Fuller Baker Memorial Hall, UPLB. Highlight of the celebration is the recognition of former presidents of the association and the different institutions and organizations with whom PACE forged partnerships with through the years and the induction ceremonies of the newly elected PACE board for AY 2025-2027.

PACE President Mark Lester del Mundo Chico expressed his deep gratitude to the administration of UPLB for its strong support to the organization. “We thank Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., and the whole UPLB community for the overwhelming support to PACE,” Chico said.

Chancellor Camacho on his part reiterated his unwavering commitment to advance the practice of communication. “The partnership and collaboration of great minds in both UPLB and PACE will nurture scholarship, research, public service, and extension in the field of communication for the future of students, scholars, and advocates of communication education,” he said.

In the book titled PACE turning 50: A history of the Philippine Association of Communication Educators, Dr. Crispin Maslog fondly recalls that PACE was initially conceived when, at the end of a conference at El Grande, Paranaque, communication educators decided to put into action the plans they have envisioned. Through the sponsorship of the Department of Public Information, communication educators met at the Lualhati House in Mansion House, Baguio City on October 23-25, 1975, to discuss the idea of forming an association. Among the institutions present were Ateneo de Manila University, Maryknoll College, Mindanao State University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Philippine Women’s University, Silliman University, St. Joseph’s College, Saint Louis University, St. Paul College, University of the Philippines, Diliman, University of the Philippines Los Baños, and the University of Santo Tomas.

Founding members of the association included Fr. Alberto Ampil, S.J. (Ateneo), Pedrito Jose V. Bermudo (PLM), Albert Casuga (DPI), Nanette F. Diyco (UST), Carolina S.J. Fajardo (Maryknoll now Miriam College), Nora C. Quebral (UPLB), Raul R. Ingles (UP Institute of Mass Communication), Crispin Maslog (Silliman University), Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. (De La Salle University), Virgilio L. Pernito (St. Paul’s College Manila), Sr. Geraldine Serrano, CFIC (St. Joseph’s College), Leticia Tolentino (St. Louis University), and Yolanda V. Velasco (PWU).

Fifty years after its inception, PACE remains steadfast in its mission of promoting the development of communication education to address current trends and issues affecting stakeholders in communication, assisting member schools in curriculum planning to ensure vertical articulation to local and global communication needs, fostering collaboration with industries for faculty professional development and ensuring enrichment of learning experiences for students to prepare them as front liners in the communication field.

Among its flagship projects are the Communication and Media Studies Conference, PACE of the Future Student Camp, webinar series and the Training the Teachers workshops in collaboration with different organizations like the Pinoy Media Congress series with ABS-CBN, film workshop with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, and Class Project: Intercollegiate Mini-Documentary Competition sponsored by Knowledge Channel.

PACE acknowledges the full support of the UPLB community including the:

Office of the Chancellor

Media and Communication Office

Ugnayan ng Pahinungod

Graduate School

University Housing Office

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Enterprise Management

Business Affairs Office

Resource Generation and Development Office

University Planning and Maintenance Office

Digital Innovation Center